The present disclosure generally relates to a method for electroplating (or electrodeposition) a transition metal oxide composition that may be used in gas sensors, biological cell sensors, supercapacitors, catalysts for fuel cells and metal air batteries, nano and optoelectronic devices, filtration devices, structural components, and energy storage devices. The method includes electrodepositing the electrochemically active transition metal oxide composition onto a working electrode in an electrodeposition bath containing a molten salt electrolyte and a transition metal ion source. The electrode structure can be used for various applications such as electrochemical energy storage devices including high power and high-energy primary or secondary batteries.

A tin-plated copper terminal material in which on a substrate made of copper or copper alloy, a nickel-or-nickel-alloy layer, a copper-tin alloy layer, and a tin layer are laminated in this order; in this material, the tin layer has an average thickness 0.2 μm to 1.2 μm inclusive; the copper-tin alloy layer is a compound alloy layer in which Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5 is a main ingredient and part of copper in the Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5 is substituted with nickel, and an average crystal grain size is 0.2 μm to 1.5 μm inclusive; part of the copper-tin alloy layer appears on a surface of the tin layer and tin solidification parts exist like islands; and the tin solidification parts have an average diameter 10 μm to 1000 μm inclusive in a direction along the surface of the tin layer and an area ratio to the surface of the tin layer 1% to 90% inclusive.

A tin-plated copper terminal material in which on a substrate made of copper or copper alloy, a nickel-or-nickel-alloy layer, a copper-tin alloy layer, and a tin layer are laminated in this order; in this material, the tin layer has an average thickness 0.2 μm to 1.2 μm inclusive; the copper-tin alloy layer is a compound alloy layer in which Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5 is a main ingredient and part of copper in the Cu.sub.6Sn.sub.5 is substituted with nickel, and an average crystal grain size is 0.2 μm to 1.5 μm inclusive; part of the copper-tin alloy layer appears on a surface of the tin layer and tin solidification parts exist like islands; and the tin solidification parts have an average diameter 10 μm to 1000 μm inclusive in a direction along the surface of the tin layer and an area ratio to the surface of the tin layer 1% to 90% inclusive.

The invention relates to a method for coating a steel sheet or steel strip to which an aluminium-based coating is applied in a dip-coating process and the surface of the coating is freed of a naturally occurring aluminium oxide layer. In order to provide a low-cost method for coating steel sheets or steel strips that makes the steel sheets or steel strips outstandingly suitable for the production of components by means of press hardening and for the further processing thereof, it is proposed that transition metals or transition metal compounds are subsequently deposited on the freed surface of the coating to form a top layer. The invention also relates to a method for producing press-hardened components from the aforementioned steel sheets or steel strips with an aluminium-based coating.

The invention relates to a method for coating a steel sheet or steel strip to which an aluminium-based coating is applied in a dip-coating process and the surface of the coating is freed of a naturally occurring aluminium oxide layer. In order to provide a low-cost method for coating steel sheets or steel strips that makes the steel sheets or steel strips outstandingly suitable for the production of components by means of press hardening and for the further processing thereof, it is proposed that transition metals or transition metal compounds are subsequently deposited on the freed surface of the coating to form a top layer. The invention also relates to a method for producing press-hardened components from the aforementioned steel sheets or steel strips with an aluminium-based coating.

A metal material comprising: a base material; an oxide layer disposed on a surface of the base material; and a metal layer disposed on a surface of the oxide layer, wherein the base material includes aluminum, the oxide layer includes aluminum, nickel, and oxygen, the metal layer includes nickel, and an average thickness of the oxide layer is no less than 50 nm and no more than 250 nm.

A pin terminal includes a bar-like base material and a plating layer covering a predetermined region of the base material. A constituent material of the base material is pure copper or a copper alloy. The plating layer includes a tin-based layer made of metal containing tin. One end side of the base material includes a tip covering portion. The tin-based layer includes the tip covering portion. The tip covering portion covers an entire region in a circumferential direction on the one end side of the base material. A difference (t.sub.1−t.sub.2) between a maximum value t.sub.1 and a minimum value t.sub.2 of a thickness of the tip covering portion measured at a measurement location set at a spot of 1 mm from one end of the pin terminal along a longitudinal direction of the pin terminal is 0.20 μm or more.

Some of the embodiments of the present application provide a semiconductor structure and a method of manufacturing the same, the method of manufacturing the semiconductor structure comprising: providing a base; performing a first electroplating process to form a first electroplated layer on the base; performing a second electroplating process to form a second electroplated layer on the surface of the first electroplated layer, the current density of the second electroplated layer being greater than the current density of the first electroplated layer.

The invention relates to sheet metal packaging products, in particular tinplate or electrolytically chrome-plated sheet steel (ECCS), consisting of a sheet steel substrate (S) with a thickness in the region of 0.1 mm to 0.6 mm and a coating (B), in particular made of tin and/or chromium or chromium and chromium oxide, that is electrolytically deposited on at least one side of the sheet metal substrate. In addition, at least one surface of the sheet metal packaging product provided with the coating (B) has a surface profile with periodically repeating structure elements in at least one direction, wherein an autocorrelation function resulting from the surface profile has a plurality of side lobes with a height of at least 20%, preferably at least 30% of the height of the main lobe. These sheet metal packaging products have improved and novel surface properties.

This steel sheet for hot stamping includes a base material, an Al—Si alloy plating layer in which the Al content is 75 mass % or more, the Si content is 3 mass % or more and the total of the Al content and the Si content is 95 mass % or more, an Al oxide coating having a thickness of 0 to 20 nm and a Ni plating layer in which the Ni content is more than 90 mass % in this order, the base material has a predetermined chemical composition, the Al—Si alloy plating layer has a thickness of 7 to 148 μm, and the Ni plating layer has a thickness of more than 200 nm and 2500 nm or less.